A'Villan Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 Fernando Torres. Underrated. A goalkeeper until age 16 when his coaches said his technical abilities were wasted there. Nicknamed "El Nino" because of his early inclusion into squads beyond his years at Atletico. Everyone on the team was the same age and familiar with each other through progressing together, but Torres was foreign to them. He was so prolific and such a talented prodigy that people took notice, but just referred to him as "The Kid". Which he apparently wasn't fond of. By age 19 he was captain of Atletico's first team and banging in 20 goals a season in La Liga, as well as being a UEFA cup runner-up and notable scorer. Finished 3rd in the ballon d'or behind Messi and Ronaldo one year. Not his fault he suffered a knee injury, though I guess it was his decision to return from it prematurely. Has had notable success wherever he has gone for club, and also with his country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Kendrick's Dentist Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 5 hours ago, A'Villan said: Fernando Torres. Underrated. A goalkeeper until age 16 when his coaches said his technical abilities were wasted there. Nicknamed "El Nino" because of his early inclusion into squads beyond his years at Atletico. Everyone on the team was the same age and familiar with each other through progressing together, but Torres was foreign to them. He was so prolific and such a talented prodigy that people took notice, but just referred to him as "The Kid". Which he apparently wasn't fond of. By age 19 he was captain of Atletico's first team and banging in 20 goals a season in La Liga, as well as being a UEFA cup runner-up and notable scorer. Finished 3rd in the ballon d'or behind Messi and Ronaldo one year. Not his fault he suffered a knee injury, though I guess it was his decision to return from it prematurely. Has had notable success wherever he has gone for club, and also with his country. You're right on that he was a great player in his day. Absolutely was not a goalkeeper until 16 though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A'Villan Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 9 minutes ago, Mat Kendrick's Dentist said: You're right on that he was a great player in his day. Absolutely was not a goalkeeper until 16 though! That could be my memory failing me, but definitely was a goalkeeper in his time in the youth setup at Atletico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 Harvey Elliott looks a real prospect. Warning signs thou with that East 17 look. Hopefully he'll not lose focus and become an Instagram star rather than a footballer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villan4Life Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 (edited) 43 minutes ago, sne said: Harvey Elliott looks a real prospect. Warning signs thou with that East 17 look. Hopefully he'll not lose focus and become an Instagram star rather than a footballer. The best two talented 16 year olds in the country are Harvey Elliott and Jude Bellingham (Blues) I wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool signed Bellingham too. Edited December 18, 2019 by Villan4Life 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 30 minutes ago, Villan4Life said: The best two talented 16 year olds in the country are Harvey Elliott and Jude Bellingham (Blues) I wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool signed Bellingham too. I wish we'd sign Bellingham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 38 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said: I wish we'd sign Bellingham Where did small heath get him from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 50 minutes ago, Genie said: Where did small heath get him from? All the way through their youth set up He's from Stourbridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 (edited) I think I'm right in saying that Bellingham hasn't signed a professional contract yet because of his age, so if he was to leave he'd be available for a cut-price fee as it would be set by a tribunal. Apparently the so called big six teams in the premier league have been watching him and Bayern Munich have been linked as well, so probably too late for us. Edited December 18, 2019 by useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Martin Odegaard is going to be one of the world's best very soon. 30 minutes in and v Osasuna he's already produced a lovely assist and hit free kick into the top corner. Interested if Real Madrid let him stay at La Real for another season but personally I'd be looking to move Kroos and Modric on now which will give him space to get regular games in their midfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Saw a stat this morning that the real Ronaldo scored 88 goals by rounding the keeper That's mad 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 On the rare occasion I watch a full 90 mins of a game he's in, Aaron Mooy is always very impressive. Clever loan signing by Brighton. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepDish Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 Erling Braut Haaland has signed for Borrussia Dortmund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuwabatake Sanjuro Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 I mentioned it back before Rangers signed him for peanuts but Barisic is good enough for the premier league now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Thought Lucas Torreria was excellent again for Arsenal yesterday. Baffling Emery benched him for most of the season. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLillis Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I am always impressed by John Fleck at Sheffield Utd. Not a world beater by any stretch of the imagination but the type of player id like us to have on our books right now. Also Kalvin Philipps at Leeds is a very good player ( I know that you know this...) Finally....Jamie Vardy - comes across a bit of a too with his celebrating in front to opposition fans, but he plays exactly how striker should play. He must be a nightmare to defend against. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 On 28/12/2019 at 14:22, KentVillan said: On the rare occasion I watch a full 90 mins of a game he's in, Aaron Mooy is always very impressive. Clever loan signing by Brighton. Always thought he looked good whenever I had the misfortune to watch a Huddlesfield game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 On 28/12/2019 at 14:22, KentVillan said: On the rare occasion I watch a full 90 mins of a game he's in, Aaron Mooy is always very impressive. Clever loan signing by Brighton. watching vs Chelsea and he always wanted the ball, demanding the ball in midfield. feel like something we are missing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 On 02/01/2020 at 16:22, MarkLillis said: I am always impressed by John Fleck at Sheffield Utd. Not a world beater by any stretch of the imagination but the type of player id like us to have on our books right now. Also Kalvin Philipps at Leeds is a very good player ( I know that you know this...) Finally....Jamie Vardy - comes across a bit of a too with his celebrating in front to opposition fans, but he plays exactly how striker should play. He must be a nightmare to defend against. John Fleck has only two Scotland caps, both this year. Scotland to me are like the Villa of international football, were excellent in the 80s and 90s but since then have struggled and always make wierd choices regarding players. They moan they don't have top level players anymore yet don't call up the ones who are actually playing in the premier league. Pretty sure they took ages to give likes of McTominey and McGinn regular starts. When everyone is fit their central midfield options are just as good as both Irish nations and Wales imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 9 minutes ago, VillaChris said: John Fleck has only two Scotland caps, both this year. Scotland to me are like the Villa of international football, were excellent in the 80s and 90s but since then have struggled and always make wierd choices regarding players. They moan they don't have top level players anymore yet don't call up the ones who are actually playing in the premier league. Pretty sure they took ages to give likes of McTominey and McGinn regular starts. When everyone is fit their central midfield options are just as good as both Irish nations and Wales imo. Well before your time but they were probably even better in the 60s and 70s as well. That team that beat England at Wembley after we won the World Cup, with jim Baxter running the show and the Celtic team that trounced our best team at the time Leeds united were phenomenal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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